My wife and I had been planning another COVID-style Zoom Dinner with our friends, Jackie and Rob. It was our turn to prepare dinner and deliver it to them. We were a little reticent with our menu, as our friends are both great cooks (especially when it comes to Italian cuisine). Despite this, I believe the meal was a success (my wife deserves 100% of the credit, as she did just about everything). She did most of the prep, while I was doing errands. Okay, so one of the errands was stopping at Amalthea Cellars in Atco. I picked up the three bottles in the photo above, as well as a refill of their Winter Cantina Mas Blend.
The meal was a rather simple one. It consisted of a salad and a plate of pasta:
Salad
A simple tossed salad of Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and some feta cheese, with Italian dressing.
The Entree
The entree consisted of Penne pasta in a homemade Bolognese sauce (with chicken and veal, rather than beef). Of course, at the base is the tomato puree, to which fennel, onions, carrots, white wine, chicken broth, and garlic are added. Finally, a bit of Parmesan cheese is the finishing touch. Thank you Carol! There are many versions of this dish, but this is definitely one of my all time favorites.
Brownies were awaiting for dessert, but we had to wait until breakfast for ours. The Bolognese and pasta were too filling to enjoy a dessert afterward.
The Wine
After tasting the Winter Blend of the Cantina Mas, I decided it would fill the bill for our table wine with this meal. For those of you who are not familiar with the Cantina Mas, Amalthea Cellars produces a different red blend four times a year-one for each season. Our winter blend was made with Pinot Noir, Carmenere, and Barbera. There is enough acidity to pair with a variety of dishes, while the tannins are very smooth. Carmenere originates in France, but today is primarily grown in Chile. It is similar to Merlot in taste and color.
Amalthea’s Cantina Mas is truly one of the best buys in New Jersey wines. For four liters of very good table wine, it only costs $36 for your refill or the equivalent of roughly $7 per bottle. Tough to beat, especially for a quality dry red table wine! If you follow their directions and keep in a dark, cool area, it will remain fresh and delicious for several weeks. It never stays around that long in my house.
The wines in the other photo consist of Pinot Nor (two bottles) and a bottle of Amalthea Cellars Sur Lie Chardonnay.* The Pinot Noir is excellent. It is made from grapes from the Russian River Valley in California. It is a rich, well-balanced Pinot with a little more body than many others and an elegant smoothness.
*Sur Lie indicates that the wine was allowed to remain “on the lees” (on the spent yeast, which settles on the bottom of the fermentation vessel). When this is done, it gives a fuller body and creamier, richer wine with more depth and complexity.
Coming Attractions
What is your favorite wine? What wine do you reach for as your go-to? Ever wonder what is it about that wine that makes you like it? Many factors go into the aroma and flavor profile of a wine. Ever wonder why a wine made with grapes has a grapefruit flavor? What about butter or chocolate? I will try to answer some of these questions next week. If you want to try some new wines, but don’t want to throw money away chasing after a wine that suits you, the best thing you can do is analyze what it is about a wine you like. Equally, it is important to find out what you don’t like about a particular wine. But don’t write off a wine varietal on the basis of trying one example. More on that, too, next week…
New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine
Get your copy of my paperback book for $17.99 at store.bookbaby.com/book/New-Jersey-Uncorked. Be sure to use the coupon code Winter2021.
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Yes, the meal was very successful and delicious along with having great company to enjoy it. But you both stepped it up a notch or two with including dessert, which was not mentioned in your post. Next, we bring dinner to you two.
Taking a break at the moment from this online (failing) teaching experiment to read your newest submission. Talk to you soon.
Rob, We look forward to it! Cheers!